So-called electric vehicles such as battery vehicles, hybrid vehicles or fuel cell vehicles are equipped with a power storage device made up of a secondary battery, a capacitor or the like, and generate a driving force from electric power stored in the power storage device through a motor.
A configuration has been proposed in which the power storage device mounted on these electric vehicles is charged by an external power supply such as a system power supply or a solar cell. As for a hybrid vehicle, in particular, if the cost of charging by an external power supply is lower than that of electric power generation at an internal combustion engine mounted on the hybrid vehicle, the overall driving cost can be suppressed by charging the power storage device by the external power supply.
When the power storage device is charged, temperature changes such as a resistive heat generation by a charging current, and an endothermic or exothermic reaction due to a change in entropy of the power storage device occur. Therefore, a configuration has been proposed in which, at the time of charging by the external power supply, a heat medium for managing such temperature changes is supplied to the electric vehicle in addition to the external power supply.
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 08-037705 discloses an electrically-driven moving body housing a rechargeable battery and moving by electric power from the rechargeable battery, a pair of a connector for receiving charging electricity and a connector for receiving cold air as well as an exhaust hole being formed at a surface of the moving body, and a housing chamber for the rechargeable battery communicating with the connector for receiving cold air and the exhaust hole.
In the electric vehicles as described above, the power storage device is placed in a space for occupants, a luggage room or the like in most cases. Therefore, the provision of an exhaust hole as in the electrically-driven moving body disclosed in above-described Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 08-037705 is not easy in terms of sound insulation and design. Thus, in a case where a heat medium (such as cold air) is supplied from outside the vehicle, the used heat medium that is to be discharged stays around the power storage device and the passenger comfort is degraded.